Movable barrier for elevated highways



Jan. 10, 1939. w. T. CURTIS 2,143,433

MOVABLE BARRIER FOR ELEVATED HIGHWAYS Filed March 4, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Jan. 10, 1939. w. T. CURTIS MOVABLE BARRIER-FOR ELEVATED HIGHWAYS Filed March 4, 1938 2 sheets-sheet 2 M JJ dEXF BY ,J

M ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1939 MOVABLE BARRIER FOR ELEVATED HIGHWAYS Walter T. Curtis, Detroit, Mich.

Application March 4, 1938, Serial No. 193,879

4 Claims.

My invention relates to traific control and its object is to proportion an elevated vehicular roadbed to the requirements of the streams of traffic in opposite directions, and at different times.

I accomplish this object as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which I have shown my invention in combination with an open-grid elevated highway construction such asis shown in my pending application for United States Letters Patent for an improvement in Elevated highway construction, filed February 11, 1938, Serial Number 190,083.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse section of such a construction partly broken away, with an apparatus embodying my invention mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is a detail plan view of a portion of the'elevated roadbed, partly broken away, and a portion of the apparatus embodying my invention.

Figure 3 is a detail view of an actuating apparatus.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional elevation of a portion of the roadbed with a portion of the apparatus embodying my invention mounted thereon, drawn on an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is a detail section taken on or about line 55 Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail section on or about line 66 Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a section of an elevated highway with apparatus embodying my invention mounted thereon.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic plan View of a portion of an elevated highway equipped with an apparatus embodying my invention, drawn to a small scale, illustrating a method of operating the apparatus in which instead of moving the barrier for very long continuous stretches it be moved in sections of say 200 feet, and in such a manner, progressively, as shown, that cars running in either direction will not be opposing an end of a moving section of the barrier, but instead will be running into the gradually widening lane, instead of into the gradually narrowing lane.

Referring now to the reference characters on the drawings, in which:

Numerals l-l-i indicate pillars supporting the framework which in turn supports the openmesh steel grid constituting the roadway.

The roadway 2 has transverse slots 3 formed therethrough, parallel to each other, midway between the sides of the roadway, and spaced a convenient distance apart, which may be 16 feet.

The numerals 4 indicate tracks, one of which extends transversely of the supporting framework for the roadbed, 2, under each of the slots 5 3. Numeral 5 indicates a carriage as a whole which includes two channel irons 6-6 placed parallel to each other with their webs adjacent and back to back with flanges extending outward. Numerals 1-! indicate wheels between the channel irons 5-6, their shafts bearing in the webs of said channel irons. The wheels 1-'! engage the track 4, and are adapted to roll thereon. Numeral 3 indicates a plate, secured between the channel irons 66 at its lower end.

Said plates extend upwardly from the carriage 5, through the slots 3, and are adapted to be carried longitudinally of said slots, by said carriages.

The numeral 9 indicates a channel iron, which engages on the upper ends of the plates 8, with its flanges extending downward. Numeral l0 indicates an I-beam resting upon the channel iron 9 longitudinally and centrally thereof, and extending upwardly therefrom. The I-beam l0 and channel 9, constitute a barrier separating the streams, or lanes, of traific, and are so disposed that the outer face of a wheel of a vehicle'traversing the highway would if it struck the barrier a glancing blow come into contact with the outer surfaces of the downward protruding flange of the channel thus offering broad enough resisting surface to retard the automobile without injuring the automobile wheel or its tire.

Numeral l I (Figure 1) indicates a cable hav- 5 ing its ends secured to opposite ends of the carriage 5, passing over idling pulleys |2l2 and an actuating drum l3 (Figure 3). Numeral M indicates a shaft adapted to rotate in bearings below the level of the roadway 2, and extending parallel to the barrier 9-48. A drum l3 and actuating cable I I are provided for each alternate carriage 5, the intermediate carriages serving merely as carriers for the barrier 9-46.

Numeral l5 indicates a gear wheel on the shaft l4; and i8 is a pinion on the drive shaft of an electric motor l6a, which is adapted to rotate the gear wheel l5, thereby actuating the shaft l4, and. moving the carriages 5, and barrier 8Hl laterally of the roadway.

Diagrammatically indicated stops H, see Figure 1, may be placed at the extremities of the movement of the barrier. A solenoid brake l8, indicated diagrammatically in Figure 7, or other braking means, may be employed to control any backward movement from the stops.

The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows:

If for example, in the morning, the traffic is heaviest at the right of the carrier, as shown in Figure 1, the motor I6 will be energized to pull I the carriages 5 to the left by means of the cables H, thus carrying the barrier 9l0 over to the left, broadening the right hand passageway and narrowing the left hand passageway in which latter the traflic is lightest, as shown in Figure l in full lines. When the weight of trafilc is reversed, at night, the motor will be again energized to carry the barrier 9l0 to the right as indicated in broken lines in Figure 1 so that the narrow passage will be at the right and the broad passage at the left.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of an elevated road-bed having laterally extending slots therein; carriages adapted to travel under said slots; a traflic barrier mounted on said carriage and extending above said road-bed; means for moving said carriages under said slots, whereby said barrier is shifted at will laterally of said road-bed.

2. The combination of a grid-formation ele vated road-bed, having laterally extending slots, therethrough; tracks extending under said slots; carriages adapted to travel on said tracks; a

traffic-barrier mounted on said carriages and extending above said road-bed; and means for moving said carriages along said tracks, whereby said barrier is shifted at will laterally of said road-bed.

3. The combination of an elevated road-bed having laterally extending slots therein; carriages adapted to travel under said slots; a trafiic barrier mounted on said carriages and extending above said road-bed; and means for moving said carriages under said slots, whereby said barrier is shifted at will laterally of said road-bed, said barrier consisting of a channel iron having its flanges extending downward, and an I-beam resting on the web of said channel iron centrally and longitudinally of said web.

4. The combination of an elevated road-bed having laterally extending slots therein; carriages adapted to travel under said slots; a traffic barrier mounted on said carriages and extending above said elevated road-bed; means for moving said carriages under said slots, whereby said barrier is shifted at will laterally of said elevated roadbed, said means for moving said carriages consisting of a rotatable shaft having a plurality of drums thereon; cables passing around said drums and attached to said carriages; and power means for rotating said shaft and drums at will in either direction.

WALTER T. CURTIS. 

